Alternator with engaged heat sinks and rectifier board

Abstract

An alternator is provided with a rectifier including a positive-side and a negative-side heatsink that cool rectifier elements corresponding to each heatsink and a circuit board that holds the positive-side and the negative-side heatsink, wherein one of either the positive-side and the negative-side heatsink or the circuit board is provided with engaging holes, and the other with engaging protrusions that are engaged with the holes.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An alternator, comprising:
 a rectifier including a positive-side heatsink and negative-side heatsink for cooling rectifier elements corresponding to each heatsink, and 
 a circuit board, having a front side and an opposing rear side, for holding the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink; 
 wherein one or more engaging holes are centrally aligned along an axis, the axis being along a longitudinal length of the one or more engaging holes, and provided on at least one of (a) the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink and (b) opposite sides of the circuit board, and 
 wherein one or more corresponding engaging protrusions that are engaged with each engaging hole, are provided, such that an engaging protrusion is provided on at least one of (c) opposite sides of the circuit board aligned along axis and (d) the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink aligned along the axis, respectively, and 
 wherein antivibration protrusions, each for abutting a surface of the positive-side heatsink and that of the negative-side heatsink, are formed at predetermined locations on an insulation resin portion constituting the circuit board. 
 
     
     
       2. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of holes identical to the engaging hole is made in each of the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink, the engaging protrusion is formed of an insulation resin portion constituting the circuit board, and the outer diameter of the protrusion is formed larger than the engaging hole diameter. 
     
     
       3. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein the engaging protrusion is provided with a plurality of rib-like ridges formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof at circumferentially equal intervals. 
     
     
       4. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein the circuit board is formed in an arc and a plurality of notches is provided along an outer and an inner circumferential side of the circuit board so as to ease deformation of the circuit board. 
     
     
       5. An alternator, comprising:
 a rectifier including a positive-side heatsink and a negative-side heatsink for cooling rectifier elements corresponding to each heatsink, and 
 a circuit board, having a front side and an opposing rear side, for holding the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink; 
 wherein one or more engaging holes are centrally aligned along an axis, the axis being along a longitudinal length of the one or more engaging holes, and provided on at least one of (a) the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink and (b) opposite sides of the circuit board, and 
 wherein one or more corresponding engaging protrusions that are engaged with each engaging hole are provided, such that an engaging protrusion is provided on at least on of (c) opposite sides of the circuit board aligned along axis and (d) the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink aligned along the axis, respectively, and 
 wherein a portion of a cylindrical guide is configured to advance into an inside of an insertion through hole for fastening together made in the positive-side heatsink and a portion of another cylindrical guide is configured to advance into an inside of an insertion through hole for fastening together made in the negative-side heatsink are integrally molded with a fixing hole in an insulation resin portion constituting the circuit board. 
 
     
     
       6. The alternator according to  claim 2 , wherein an engaging protrusion tip of the engaging protrusion is configured to be releasable from a molding die with knockout pins at a location corresponding to the engaging protrusion tip. 
     
     
       7. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein the engaging protrusion is formed along an inner circumferential side of the rectifier. 
     
     
       8. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink are held on opposite sides of the circuit board. 
     
     
       9. The alternator according to  claim 1 , wherein the engaging protrusions are provided back-to-back on the circuit board to fixedly hold the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink. 
     
     
       10. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein a plurality of holes identical to the engaging hole is made in each of the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink, the engaging protrusion is formed of an insulation resin portion constituting the circuit board, and the outer diameter of the protrusion is formed larger than the engaging hole diameter. 
     
     
       11. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the engaging protrusion is provided with a plurality of rib-like ridges formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof at circumferentially equal intervals. 
     
     
       12. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the circuit board is formed in an arc and a plurality of notches is provided along an outer and an inner circumferential side of the circuit board so as to ease deformation of the circuit board. 
     
     
       13. The alternator according to  claim 10 , wherein the circuit board is released by a knockout pin provided in a molding die at a location corresponding to the engaging protrusion tip. 
     
     
       14. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the engaging protrusion is formed along an inner circumferential side of the rectifier. 
     
     
       15. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink are held on opposite sides of the circuit board. 
     
     
       16. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the engaging protrusions are provided back-to-back on the circuit board to fixedly hold the positive-side heatsink and the negative-side heatsink. 
     
     
       17. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the axis is parallel to a rotational axis of the generator. 
     
     
       18. The alternator according to  claim 5 , wherein the axis is parallel to a rotational axis of the generator.